I always believed punk bands lose their anger as they get older, become more successful, etc. Sir Bob Geldof, Boomtown Rats frontman and the driver behind Band Aid, throws all of that out the window. He is still angry, whether it’s about disco and “shit rock”, as he calls it, or the political situation in the US, the UK, and Ireland. I must admit I was in awe when I met the man and he seems nice enough unless you ask a stupid question (which I did) and he tells you to “fuck off”!!
It was definitely interesting to hear about the history of the Boomtown Rats (think dead rat shipped to radio stations with their single), the evolution of music back in the 70s or 80s, or the “blandness” of the current music industry. He does feel that the lyrics from the earlier Rats era are still apropos to the now. “Someone’s Looking at You” can easily be talking about Facebook, Google, etc. He says “we’ve confused information with knowledge”. Now we’re told what we already listen to or what our politics are and continues to regurgitate the same instead of allowing us to explore new ideas and new music. “I Don’t Like Mondays” is no longer about the school shooting in 1979 but could easily be about a shooting yesterday, today or tomorrow.
“The rhetoric of change is rock and roll”. Definitely check out Geldof’s interview on Paste Studio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4gewV9_JPM
The Boomtown Rats have a new record “Citizens of Boomtown” coming out March 13th. In addition, Geldof has a new book “Tales of Boomtown Glory”, an anthology of lyrics and stories about the songs, and a documentary featuring the Boomtown Rats will debut at the Dublin Film Festival.
NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography
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